Summary: Pacey’s having dinner with Sadia, who wonders why he waited so long to ask her out. He tells her he was “otherwise engaged,” but that’s been “taken care of.” At Worthington, Joey and Eddie discuss Catch-22 so the writers can justify using that for the title of the episode. She’s studying for Hetson’s final, wanting to make up for the last final she took for his class. Audrey gets a letter from the dean informing her that she can only stay at Worthington if she goes to summer school. She thinks she can negotiate her way out of it.

Joey realizes that since the semester is almost over, she and Eddie won’t be able to stay in her dorm anymore. They’ve discussed going to Capeside to work at the B&B, but Eddie has other ideas, ones he won’t share with Joey. Jack stops by the helpline while David is working, but David’s still mad about their ridiculous fight and doesn’t want to talk. He agrees to maybe meet with Jack later, but doesn’t give any kind of commitment.

At work, Pacey speaks to some job candidates, telling them that he had sex with Sadia because his life is awesome. Also, because he’s officially turned into Rich. Speaking of Rich, he tells Pacey that the Stepatech approval is about to go through. Pacey hooks up with Sadia again later, telling her that as soon as the FDA approves Stepatech’s new medical “thingy,” he’ll have enough money to buy a new car. In case it isn’t clear that Pacey has turned into Rich, he barely reacts when Sadia mentions that she has a boyfriend.

Joey ensures that she’s on time for her final by arriving two hours early with Eddie. Eddie decides that now is a good time to thank Hetson for his recommendation to the writing workshop. Joey’s worried that things will go badly and Eddie will end up hitting Hetson again. Eddie proceeds with a thank-you that proves he’s not as good with words as his admission into the workshop would have us believe. Joey tells Eddie that Hetson’s “whatever” is the best response he’s going to get.

Dawson calls Pacey at work to say he’s changed his mind about Pacey letting him invest all his money. Pacey assures him that Stepatech’s flu vaccine is going to make him very rich. Dawson considers using credit cards to finance the film, but Pacey wants Dawson to keep trusting him. Joey discusses her final with Eddie, complaining about the obscure questions Hetson asked. Fortunately, she knew the answers, so she thinks she aced it. Eddie rewards her with a backpack containing a booklet about traveling Europe for cheap. That’s his plan for their summer together.

David meets Jack at Hell’s Kitchen but isn’t happy to see him talking to a male classmate. He accuses Jack of leading him on, then announces that they’re over. Jack notes that he wouldn’t have asked to meet David if he didn’t want to work things out. David says Jack’s just going through the motions, which isn’t enough for him. Jack is thoroughly confused, as he should be, though maybe he should’ve seen this coming after David’s weird behavior in the last episode.

Joey and Eddie start planning their trip, and she tries to get them to stick to practical ideas. He doesn’t care for being practical if it means they get to spend the whole summer together. They’re already pretty broke, so it doesn’t matter how much money they spend. Joey points out that this romantic idea he has won’t be as romantic as he believes; their lives will still be here when they get back. Now she thinks they should wait a month or two to make some money first. Eddie interprets this as her changing her mind about going.

Joey says she’s throwing her life “off-course,” but he just wants her to take a chance and spend some time with him. She reminds him that the books they’re read about trips and adventures aren’t meant to be guidelines they should live their lives by. Eddie says they’re meant to encourage people to step into the world, where their lives begin. He wants an adventure to change his life. Joey asks if that means she has to stop being who she is. He tells her she’s a scared little kid who’s afraid to take chances, but that shouldn’t define her as a person. She tells him to sleep somewhere else tonight.

At work the next morning, Pacey learns that the FDA didn’t approve the vaccine. Rich doesn’t think it’s a big deal, but Pacey’s been touting Stepatech for months and is going to have a lot of unhappy clients. Rich thinks the clients have only themselves to blame. Joey meets with Hetson to declare her major in English; he gives her back her final with an A- on it. She’ll have a C+ for the year (the class was a year long?), which pleases her.

They discuss Catch-22, which Hetson sees as a man choosing life over a bleak existence. He has Joey read a passage about Yossarian saying he’s not running from his responsibilities, he’s running to them: “There’s nothing negative about running away to save my life.” Hetson says that a lot of critics find that part too sentimental, as if Joseph Heller wanted to put a moral in an amoral tale. But Hetson likes it, because right now the writers are letting him show a sentimental piece of his unsentimental character.

Joey announces that she needs to go somewhere, but they can finish their discussion next semester. Hetson yelps that he’s not going to let her into any more of his classes (does he really have the option?). She tells him she’d never take another class with him, but she does want him to be her advisor, mostly so she can keep torturing him. He smiles because he totally likes her torturing him, but also because that means he gets to keep torturing her, too.

Pacey shares the FDA news with Sadia, as well as the fact that he’s now lost all of Dawson’s money. She doesn’t think it’s a big deal. Then she wants to ask him some questions on the record. Pacey won’t go for it. Sadia can’t be with him that night since she’ll be with her boyfriend – who’s now her fiancé. She tells Pacey that they have a long-distance relationship and it’s kind of boring. He decides to make her deal with the boredom by breaking up with her.

Jack goes back to the helpline, this time to see Jen, who makes her first appearance in the episode with eight minutes to go. He asks if she thinks he only went out with David to prove that he could be in a relationship. He’s worried about still being alone when he’s 35, going to bars and trying to pick up guys. Jen notes that right now he’s not even old enough to go to bars, so he shouldn’t worry about not having met the love of his life yet. Jack thinks Jen and C.J. will stick it out because they give him hope.

After dealing with dozens of angry clients, Pacey just has Dawson to address. First he asks Rich for a loan so he can give Dawson back his initial investment. Pacey put all of his own money in Stepatech as well, so he and Dawson are both broke. Rich tells him he’s an idiot, then gives him the answer he should have given Dawson: No. Instead of just dropping it, Pacey keeps fighting, and Rich tells him he hasn’t earned any help. He adds that Pacey is a failure and a loser who will never amount to anything. Pacey attacks him and they have a fight that breaks a bunch of computers. It ends with Pacey getting himself fired, which Rich thinks he wanted all along.

Joey makes Audrey register for summer classes, then tells her she’s decided to go to Europe with Eddie after all. But before she can tell him, she finds a goodbye note he left her saying that he, unlike her, wants to act without worrying about consequences. Maybe people like him (and Pacey, who’s now at the Leerys’) are just doomed to make the same mistakes over and over, but he still hopes for a happy ending. (Hey, Joey, at least he left you a note this time.)

Thoughts: Pacey went from lovable romantic to creepy jerk in two episodes. Goodt hing we can blame Joey directly.

I guess this means no more Hetson. Thank God for Todd Manning on my TV five days a week.

Cheap trip or not, how were Joey and Eddie planning to pay for their summer in Europe? The plane tickets there would have probably wiped them out.

Seriously, Jack, you are better off. David is crazy. If it’s between being alone and being with him, just get some cats and go with it.

Do most schools let you pick your advisor? We were assigned ours.

When Jen has the best outlook on relationships, you know your characters are screwed up.

Summary: Pacey tries to find something on TV, looks out his window, and starts to leave. He runs into Joey, who he says he was just on his way to see. Pacey tries to avoid any kind of meaningful conversation, but Joey wants to talk about what happened the last time they talked, when he told her he’s still in love with her.

Joey says that when she was younger and read Choose Your Own Adventure books, she would cheat so she could always get a happy ending. Pacey tells her that they’re not kids anymore, and he can handle whatever decision she makes. He also wants them to be able to be together without thinking about their history. Joey clarifies that he wants a clean slate. She agrees that they’ve changed and they decide to do some thinking. However, she also wants a plan.

On campus, Hetson talks to Joey about wanting to date so he doesn’t die alone. He says Harley’s been “extra-loopy” lately and has put pictures of boys on her ceiling. Joey assures him that Harley’s normal. Hetson would prefer if Harley were more like Joey – especially if it means she didn’t have a boyfriend. Joey warns that if Hetson gets too strict about boys, Harley will rebel. He asks what her high school boyfriend was like. She just says that people change.

Dawson’s at Capeside High to talk to Mr. Gold’s film class. He spent some time preparing by watching his old movies, and now he regrets it. Pacey gets a call at work from his mom and rushes to Capeside, where his father is in the hospital after suffering an arrhythmia. Doug’s annoyed with him for some reason.

Dawson shows Mr. Gold’s students his and Todd’s movie, then takes questions. One of the students, George, is basically a mini-Dawson and asks Dawson to watch his movie. Dawson is freaked out by being called Mr. Leery. In Boston, Joey asks Harley to go easier on her father; otherwise she’ll spend her teen years stuck in the house. After she leaves the room, a guy named Patrick bursts out of Harley’s closet. Joey returns and finds them kissing.

At the hospital, Pacey gets his father a private room, but Doug snipes at him for throwing money around. He’s shaken over having seen Sheriff Witter fall over during breakfast, since neither has seen their father off-guard before. Pacey admits that he forgot that Sheriff Witter has real feelings. (He probably forgot that Doug has real feelings, too.)

Joey questions Harley’s claims that Patrick is her study partner by trying to get them to actually study. Patrick tries to suck up to her, but she knows he’s “harmless” and that his sweet talk is just talk. Back in Capeside, Pacey tries to call Joey but gets her voicemail. Then Doug calls him in to see their father, who regrets that Pacey had to put his life on hold to come see him. However, Sheriff Witter’s happy to see him and wants him to stay, apparently instead of Doug.

Dawson watches George’s movie but doesn’t give an immediate response. George thinks that means he’s going to tear the film apart. Dawson notes that he’s new at this and is having trouble finding profound things to say to film students. He adds that though the movie needs work, George should keep going and trust himself. He’s already learned the things that can’t be taught.

Dawson tells him to remember what it’s like to be able to make a movie about something he loves. George teases that he already seems like a burnout. He liked Creek Daze and thought it had heart, something that can’t be lost. Pacey tries to talk to Sheriff Witter about his help, but Sheriff Witter thinks everyone needs to calm down, especially Doug. He’s more worried about what the time away from the office will do to Pacey’s job. Pacey doesn’t care – he wants to be with his father.

Patrick tries to sweet-talk Joey again, but Harley’s annoyed by his apparent crush. Joey tries to keep the peace, and Harley calls her Helen, as in Helen of Troy. She tears into Patrick for all the annoying things he’s done, and he defends himself by saying he was keeping his options open. Harley tells him to take her off his list of options.

Speaking of people who are annoyed with other people, here’s Doug. Pacey calls him out on being mad that he’s trying to help the family. Doug’s mad that Pacey is only a member of the family when it’s convenient. He brings everyone gifts, pretends to be one of them, and leaves. Pacey says he wants to leave his past as the family failure behind.

Pacey continues that Doug just wants Pacey around so he can remind himself he’s still the good son. Pacey continues that he had to leave town because he hated how their family treated him. He came back to let Sheriff Witter know that he doesn’t hold a grudge. Part of him thinks this crisis might actually be a good thing. Doug tells him to enjoy the situation while it lasts.

Harley locks herself in her room while Patrick tells Joey that he tried to treat Harley normally but felt weird. He’d rather be the funny one because at least it gets her attention. Joey finds that familiar and says that guys are all the same. Then Patrick hits on her again. Joey tells him that Harley’s a great girl, and if she’s smart, she’ll ditch him. She advises him to leave, forget about Joey, and come up with a grand gesture to win Harley back.

Pacey decides to leave the hospital for the night, but first he tells Sheriff Witter that Doug was the one who got him the private room. In Boston, Joey finally gets into Harley’s room and assures her that she has no interest in Patrick. She also thinks Patrick isn’t really interested in her but was just testing things. Harley knows but doesn’t get why he would test something that’s already unstable.

Joey tells Harley that looking back, her problems with Pacey seem small and her issues with Dawson seem “unnecessary.” (Preach it, sister.) Harley wants to know how she can skip all the drama. Joey says she wonders why things are different, like her relationship with Eddie. As a teen, you think everything’s much more important than it is. As an adult, you take a deep breath and give yourself a chance to make mistakes.

Joey advises Harley to listen to Patrick because he might have something to say that changes her mind about him. Harley wonders why Joey didn’t go to California with Eddie if her relationship with him is so different from her failed ones. Joey says it’s about her and what she’s ready for. But she won’t tell Harley what that is.

Instead of going home, Pacey goes to the Leerys’, where he and Dawson are both surprised to see each other. They talk briefly about Sheriff Witter, a conversation with some unspoken subtext about Mitch. Pacey admits to wanting to let someone else take care of the crisis. He feels like he’s been playing the role of who he is now for so long that he forgot how he got there.

Dawson understands, since he got called Mr. Leery today. He tells Pacey about his visit to the film class and how it made him realize that he doesn’t know anything. Pacey gets that. “I wanna go back. I wanna start over,” Dawson says. Pacey wouldn’t mind that, but he’d mostly like to see where things went wrong.

Dawson mentions his failed relationships, which Pacey thinks are good for finding inspiration for his movies. Dawson replies that now that he has distance and can look at those relationships, he can’t afford to make movies. Pacey jokingly says that Dawson’s the kind of person he deals with every day at work. Dawson invites him in for coffee.

Joey goes home to her dorm and calls Pacey, getting his voicemail. She admits that she hasn’t made a decision about them, and she thinks it’s because she’s trying to do it alone. They should work things out together. If she could go back, she would change a lot of things, and she’s glad she has the chance now. Joey promises not to live in the past, instead thinking about the possibilities before them.

Thoughts: Patrick is played by Taylor Handley, Oliver from The O.C., if that means anything to you.

Pacey uses a pay phone and calling card. How cute.

Instead of telling George not to do drugs, Dawson tells him not to do sports. Heh.

I like that Pacey and Dawson didn’t have some big, dramatic reconcialition scene. Three seasons ago, they would have. But the theme of the episode is moving forward and not living in the past, so it makes sense that they would move on from that kind of thing, too.

What did Michelle Williams and Kerr Smith do to deserve all this lack of screentime? At least Michelle was probably doing a movie. Who knows what Kerr did during his time off?

Summary: Joey, Jen (who got a horrible haircut), Pacey, and Jack are hanging out at Hell’s Kitchen when Audrey arrives, seeing them for the first time since Christmas. She apologizes for her behavior over the past few months and for not letting them help her. She tells them about the party she went to in Malibu that she saw Dawson after, and how she finally realized that she’s the problem, not anyone else. Her friends welcome her back happily.

The next day, Joey and Emma ogle the new bartender at Hell’s Kitchen and discuss Eddie. Joey downplays their relationship and Emma buys it. She asks Joey to clean out Eddie’s locker while she heads out to band practice. At work, Rich tells Pacey and his coworkers that Stepatech Industries is about to go through the roof, so they should encourage their clients to buy. He then invites Pacey to a party at the house of Roger Stepavich, the Step of Stepatech. Rich just wants to make sure Pacey’s committed to his job. Pacey promises he is.

Emma and the rest of Hell’s Belles inform Audrey that they’re replacing her as lead singer. They need someone fast since they have a big gig coming up. Audrey understands but promises that she’s giving up her drinking and “general mayhem” because they’ve cost her the life she wanted to have. The Belles agree to give her another chance. Joey cleans out Eddie’s locker and finds a bunch of short stories he submitted for publication that were rejected.

The Belles have a great sound check for their gig, after which Audrey is approached by a guy from another band (Satan’s Tampon, heh) who invites her to a party on a tour bus. Joey helps Harley with her homework, then chats with her about Eddie’s disappearance. Harley encourages her to play detective and find him. Joey mentions finding the manuscript, which had Eddie’s parents’ address in Worcester on it. Harley tells her to at least call and see if he’s there. Joey does, and Eddie himself answers, but Joey panics and hangs up.

At Stepavich’s party, Pacey strikes up a conversation with a woman who claims to know his reputation as an up-and-coming broker. She wonders why he’s not in college if he’s so smart. He tells her he enjoys the adrenaline (and money) involved in his job. She heads off without telling him her name. Hetson goes to Hell’s Kitchen looking for Harley, who he thinks is there with Joey. He’s finally realized that she’s as much of a troublemaker as people keep telling him. Harley then arrives with a guest she picked up in Worcester: Eddie.

Audrey goes to the party on the tour bus, admitting to the guy who invited her that this will be her first sober gig. He offers her a drink, and at first she declines, but she’s nervous enough to change her mind. He also offers her a pill. Back at Hell’s Kitchen, Joey gives Eddie the cold shoulder while Hetson “punishes” Harley by making her have dinner with him. Eddie tells Joey that he came back to help her with the “problem” Harley told him about: Joey’s pregnancy. Joey clears up that Harley lied about that.

Eddie spots his manuscript and guesses that Joey sent Harley after him when she found it. He also knows that she’s the one who called his house and hung up. She blasts him for leaving town without telling her, adding that now that she’s solved the mystery, he can go. She thinks he just wanted an easy out. Eddie tells her it was the hardest thing he’s ever done, then leaves. Joey follows him out, now deciding she wants an answer. He admits that he couldn’t face her because he was ashamed of being unemployed and getting evicted. She may be poor, but she has a future.

Eddie continues that he punched Hetson because he knew Hetson was right about him being a failure. Joey reminds him that his rejection letter said he had promise. Eddie doesn’t think that was sincere. He wants Joey to be with someone better than him – she can have whatever she wants in life. She says she wanted him. Eddie disagrees, saying she wanted the person she thought he was in their English class. Then he leaves for real.

Audrey’s still drinking right up until she takes the stage with Hell’s Belles. Meanwhile, Pacey and his nameless woman do some eye-flirting before Pacey meets Roger Stepavich. He’s surprised to learn that Rich wants him to take over Stepatech’s account. Pacey doesn’t think he’s ready for the promotion but accepts.

Harley apologizes to Joey for getting involved in her and Eddie’s relationship; Joey forgives her but asks her not to make up any more pregnancy stories. She’s mostly upset that Eddie won’t fulfill his potential as a writer. Harley suggests that she show them to Hetson. Joey’s skeptical but does it. Hetson refuses to read the stories, mostly because Eddie hit him. Harley takes the stories with her and promises Joey she’ll try again.

Audrey ruins the Belles’ performance by sucking, stage-diving, having an acid trip, and passing out. Once she’s feeling better, Emma kicks her out of the band and sends her home. Hetson returns to Hell’s Kitchen to retrieve the backpack Harley “forgot”; he’s already read a couple of Eddie’s stories and agrees that he does have some potential. He thinks Eddie could even get into a writing workshop, but he would need Hetson’s recommendation. Hetson himself won’t talk to him, though, so Joey will have to.

As Pacey leaves the party, the nameless woman approaches him again and suggests that he ask himself if his promotion isn’t too good to be true. Audrey heads to her dorm room and starts to drink some more but winds up pouring out the rest of her alcohol. Joey goes to Worcester to give Eddie back his manuscript and tell him about the workshop. He doesn’t think there’s any point since he’s not that great, but Joey wants him to try. He can be a coward about their relationship, but he shouldn’t be a coward about his life.

Joey starts to leave, then changes her mind since she knows that’s what Eddie wants her to do. She reminds him that he once told her to take chances, which is the opposite of what he’s doing now. He’s afraid of living his life. Eddie agrees and kisses her. Joey tells him that’s the wrong answer – it’s too late for them. She starts to leave again, but he pulls her back and tells her he loves her and doesn’t want it to be too late. Joey says she loves him, too, but she leaves anyway. Back at Worthington, she tries to wake Audrey but can’t.

Thoughts: Heh. All the Right Moves is a Tom Cruise movie. Hee hee hee.

The nameless woman is played by Sarah Shahi, who now has her own show on USA, Fairly Legal.

Stepavich is played by Ray Wise, who has been in so many things I can’t even begin to list them. But he may be best known for Twin Peaks, which he was in with Dana Ashbrook (Rich).

Summary: It’s Monday, and principal photography on Todd’s movie has just been completed. Dawson and Natasha make small talk about returning to L.A. She wishes him luck because she thinks he’ll need it. On Tuesday, Joey’s at Hell’s Kitchen, back from winter break, and trying to get in touch with Eddie, who she hasn’t talked to since Christmas. As she leaves, she runs into Harley, who’s now living with Hetson full-time.

Pacey’s at an aquarium at his lunch hour, and Emma’s also there, being artistic. Meanwhile, C.J.’s training Jen so she can be a peer counselor. She’s still ticked about the whole Audrey thing. She decides she can’t handle it, and he tells her to make the decision based on herself, not him. Elsewhere, Jack and David get blood tests.

Todd and Dawson have a meeting with a studio rep who brands the movie “unwatchable.” He orders Todd to do reshoots. Todd makes it clear that he isn’t happy about it. Dawson ducks out of the room and calls Todd’s phone so he can tell him privately to stop talking before he makes things worse. Instead, Todd tells the studio reps (including Heather Tracy) that he has to go deal with another idiot in the hallway.

Dawson lectures him, reminding him that they need the studio’s money to make the movie. If Todd pushes too much, they’ll hire a new director for the reshoots. Dawson knows they both want to make the movie as good as it can be. Back in the meeting, the studio head says Heather is backing Todd, so obviously there’s a chance that he can succeed. Now they just need Todd’s decision. He rants about the guy being critical and announces that he’s not doing the reshoots.

Wednesday. After a class, Hetson notices that Joey’s one of his students again and notes that the D he gave her didn’t get her tossed out after all. She tells him she ran into Harley at Hell’s Kitchen during a school day. He thinks she’s criticizing him for not paying enough attention to his daughter. Hetson proposes that they agree to stay out of each other’s lives.

Pacey and Emma hang out at the aquarium, and she explains her love of the place by telling him about the fish tanks her family had when she was growing up. She encourages him to spend the rest of the afternoon there with her. He gives in and calls in “sick” to Rich. C.J. trains Jen some more, this time with help from David, who ditched Jack to play peacemaker. Jen tries to change the subject by asking if Jack and David are officially dating yet.

Dawson meets with Heather and the studio rep, who think Todd will be joining them to agree to the reshoots after all. Dawson tells them Todd doesn’t even know he’s there. Heather guesses he called the meeting to smooth things over in Todd’s place. Dawson knows Todd can work out the movie’s problems without reshoots, and for free. Instead, Heather suggests that Dawson do the reshoots.

Dawson protests, but the rep tells Heather to call his agent. (He doesn’t have one, so the rep says to call Dawson’s mother and get her to sign a permission slip. Heh.) Dawson continues to protest, but Heather advises him to get on board for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. She even hits him where it hurts, pointing out that he’d be fulfilling his dreams.

Thursday. In L.A., Audrey and Jack Osbourne are on a beach after some party, talking about how she’s broke but totally not on drugs. Dawson’s there and Audrey tells Jack not to say anything to him about substances she may or may not be under the influence of. She’s surprised that Dawson came when she called him, considering she recently drove a car into his house. She confides that her parents don’t know she’s not at school, or about anything else that’s happened.

Back in Boston, Joey tries to reach Eddie again; she’s now freaking out because he won’t get in touch with her. Jack and David try to come up with comforting things to say to her. After she leaves, though, they agree that Eddie probably won’t call back. Jack admits that he hooked up with a few guys over the summer who he never heard from again. Now things are a little awkward. Harley’s back at Hell’s Kitchen, but Joey makes her leave.

Pacey still doesn’t get Emma’s love for the aquarium, since she’s been there every day that week. Emma wants to know why he’s changed his entire life. He says it’s part of growing up; as a teenager, he was always chasing after things (read: girls) he could never have. Emma doesn’t think teenage Pacey sounds so bad. He admits that he’s been thinking about reverting to his past self, so she challenges him to come back the next day in a Hawaiian shirt.

Jen starts working with actual helpline callers, but it doesn’t go well. C.J. calls her high-strung. Joey takes Harley to Eddie’s building, quickly realizing that Harley is basically the high school version of her. (She even asks if Harley lost her virginity to “a trucker named Bubba,” as she told Jen she did in the pilot.) They go up to Eddie’s apartment, but he’s moved out.

Friday! Pacey goes to work in one of his hideous Hawaiian shirts, earning some well-deserved teasing from Rich. Unfortunately, he won’t be able to take a lunch break, since he’ll have to make up the work he didn’t do while he was “sick.” Pacey notes that he’s the best of all of Rich’s employees. Rich responds by giving him his W-2. Poor Emma’s on her own for the afternoon.

Jen’s bored at the helpline since the phones aren’t ringing. She won’t let C.J. leave to get coffee since she knows she can’t handle a call on her own. He notes that this is quite a change from earlier in the week, when she couldn’t stand being alone with him. As soon as C.J. leaves, Jen gets a call and gives helping someone a shot.

Jack and David get their tests results and are both healthy. David assures Jack that he doesn’t see him any differently after hearing about his summer activities. Jack shows his relief by kissing him. Hetson calls on Joey in class, hoping to bug her, but she actually interprets a story correctly. It’s about how there are cycles in life that happen over and over.

After class, Hetson gives Joey $50 for looking after Harley the day before. Harley told him that Joey helped her out with a crisis. Joey doesn’t know why he’s being nice to her. Hetson reminds her of what she said about it not being about him. They negotiate a deal for Joey to spend three days a week with Harley. Then she gives Hetson back his $50, calling the previous day a freebie.

Dawson tracks down Todd on a beach and learns that the studio rep apologized to him after Dawson turned them down for the reshoots. He’s in favor of Dawson directing. Todd adds that this doesn’t mean Dawson’s more talented than he is. Dawson agrees, saying Todd’s his mentor. Todd just wants one thing: a picture of Natasha’s face when she finds out Dawson’s her new director.

Thoughts: No way would a studio hire someone with zero experience to do anything other than fetch coffee.

Pacey’s cell phone with the little antenna cracks me up.

So why did Audrey call Dawson? I thought maybe she and Jack needed a ride, but Jack leaves without her. It was a totally random scene.

Thank you, Emma, for trying to get Pacey to shave. I’m disappointed he put on a Hawaiian shirt instead.

Summary: There’s a ’70s dance party going on! Oh, wait, it’s just a scene from Todd’s movie. He’s a little tense because some big actor named Max Winter is coming to shoot a cameo. Todd thinks it’ll make the movie huge. Unlike Natasha, Max is very nice and doesn’t make any demands. Well, except he’d like to make out with Natasha, and otherwise “get to know her.”

Joey’s trying to study at Hell’s Kitchen, which is one of the worst ideas she’s ever had. Eddie notes that there are other places she could go that would make a lot more sense, but she’s tried them all. He offers to let her use his apartment, though isn’t it, like, two hours away? Emma complains about having to clean up after Jack and Pacey, which makes Pacey’s timing horrible to ask her for a favor. He wants to take her to his office holiday party, but he has to agree to clean first.

Natasha is starstruck at the idea of working with Max, and when she meets him, she can barely say anything other than “uh-huh.” They run horribly written lines in Natasha’s trailer, and Max asks Dawson to leave. Pacey takes Emma shopping for a new dress for the party and starts to tell her that the party isn’t an average one, but he gets distracted by how hot she looks.

Joey falls asleep at Eddie’s, not even waking up when he comes home from the bar. He gets her up in time to make it back to campus for her final in Hetson’s class, asking if she spent any time snooping around to learn more about him. All she mentions is finding his ice skates. They start kissing, but Joey stops to tell Eddie she doesn’t usually sleep with a guy after one date. Usually there’s a lot of buildup. He assures her he doesn’t mind taking things slowly.

Joey continues that when she woke up in Eddie’s bed, she tried to think of a reason not to break her usual sex pattern. She couldn’t think of anything. So then they get it on. Everything’s all great afterward, except for the fact that it’s 11 and Joey was supposed to take her exam at 9. They bicker over whose fault it is. Oh, and now the apartment’s only 20 minutes from campus, so either Eddie moved or the building did. Joey makes it with only 30 minutes to take her test.

Speaking of late, Pacey arrives at the party before Emma, who makes quite an entrance in her new dress, which she’s accessorized with safety pins. Pacey isn’t pleased; Emma doesn’t care. The dance party is back on, and Max’s hair looks much better now. Todd thinks they have great chemistry. Dawson would rather not think about it. As Dawson and Todd listen through headphones, Max asks Natasha if her boyfriend minds seeing them kiss. She denies that Dawson’s her boyfriend.

Joey goes to Hetson’s house, because going to her English professors’ houses is normal to her. She’s been trying to get in touch with him all day to get another chance at the test. If you can believe it, he’s not sympathetic at all. She couldn’t even answer the first question, so she gets an automatic F, and her grade for the semester is a D. Joey begs him not to be vindictive. Hetson points out that he has to treat all his students the same.

Max films his death scene, and I don’t know if Natasha’s supposed to be a horrible actress or what, but she’s truly awful. She asks Dawson for his opinion on her performance, and he coolly tells her she’s “a real actress.” She invites him to have drinks with her and Max, but Dawson makes up an excuse not to go. Emma teases Pacey for eating baby corn like he’s in Big, and he notes that she’s having a better time than she expected. She also totally wins a big fight with Ric, so she’s my new hero.

Joey mopes over to Hell’s Kitchen, where Eddie says he thinks she’ll be able to reason with Hetson. (Has he met Hetson?) Joey knows it’s hopeless, and her poor grade will make her lose her scholarship. Eddie doesn’t see what the big deal is. Joey yells at him, noting that they don’t know much about each other. Eddie tells her that people grow up and learn from their mistakes. He doesn’t want their romantic morning to be something Joey regrets, but it looks like it’s too late.

At the party, Emma hides out in the bathroom and overhears two women talking trash about her. She confronts them and they tell her the party’s really a contest: The man who brought the hottest date gets $1,000. Pacey calls Rich on his treatment of Emma and arranging the whole contest. Rich warns that Pacey is expendable and should be nicer to the person in charge of his future.

Dawson and Todd do movie stuff, then talk about Natasha and Max. Dawson doesn’t know why he didn’t confront Natasha when he overheard her lying to Max. Todd says that if Dawson had called her on a white lie, she probably would have gotten mad at him for eavesdropping, so he was right to keep quiet. Natasha cares more about her career than being honest about her relationship, and Dawson needs to let it go.

Dawson seems to have figured out that he only kept his mouth shut because he’s so hot for Natasha and doesn’t want to risk losing her. Todd says women know that men will do anything for sex, and they use that fact to get whatever they want. Gee, I wonder why Todd’s still single? Dawson decides to be direct with Natasha, since he’s always been honest with people. Todd is skeptical that that will work.

Joey waits on Hetson at Hell’s Kitchen, and she blasts him for acting like nothing happened. Well, that’s because he doesn’t think anything did happen. He notes that her life falling apart isn’t his fault. Eddie overhears and comes to Joey’s rescue, telling Hetson that he’s the reason Joey was late for her final. Hetson tells him to get a kitten out of a tree.

Hetson then asks where Eddie thinks his relationship with Joey is going. He sees Joey as someone who’s “going places,” while Eddie’s pretty much stuck. He thinks Eddie took Joey to his place to “level the playing field,” but he knows she’ll see through him and leave him. Eddie will still be stuck at Hell’s Kitchen. Unsurprisingly, Eddie punches him. Also unsurprisingly, that gets him fired.

Joey waits for Eddie after work and they apologize to each other for their fight. She says that if she missed her exam, at least she was with Eddie. He wants to take her somewhere to get her mind off of things. Dawson catches Natasha and Max hugging in a hotel hallway but still isn’t confrontational. And when Natasha comes to his room for sex, he gives in.

Pacey meets Emma at home after she ditched the party early. She asks if she won the contest. He apologizes for going along with Rich’s plans but says he brought Emma because he thinks she’s beautiful enough that he could have won. Just being there with her would have been worth more than the $1,000. Then they make out. It doesn’t last long, though, since Jack comes home and accidentally interrupts. Meanwhile, Eddie takes Joey ice skating.

Thoughts: Kerr Smith directed this episode, which I guess is why he only has one scene in it. But it doesn’t explain why Jen and Audrey aren’t in it.

Max is played by Eddie Cahill (CSI: NY). His hair is unbelievable.

They stole that listening-in scene from Notting Hill. Just saying.

Roger Howarth, we need to have a chat about your earring.

The old Joey would have handled Hetson so much better. I miss that Joey. That Joey didn’t need an Eddie to come rescue her.

Summary: Natasha and her male lead film a scene where they’re about to have sex but are interrupted by a literal axe murderer. The stuntman playing the killer cuts the scene and Todd screams at him for it. He and Natasha tell Dawson the soundstage is haunted by the ghost of an actress named Melanie Ray. She was the Jamie Lee Curtis of the ’50s and was having an affair with the director of a movie called Kiss the Girls and Make Them Cry. Her husband found out and strangled her. Dawson’s more interested in the possible affair between Todd and Natasha.

The next day, Todd and Dawson watch dailies and talk about Halloween. Dawson’s supposed to get Todd a costume from wardrobe that will get him some action. Todd makes some comments about Natasha’s hotness, wondering if they make Dawson uncomfortable. He reminds Dawson that he dumped Natasha for “the prissy one.” The editor notices flashing in the scenes and slows the footage down to reveal a still of Melanie. Todd thinks Dawson’s playing a prank on him.

Pacey and Audrey are Sid and Nancy for Halloween, though Pacey doesn’t really want to go to a costume party. He spots a test she flunked but doesn’t say anything about it. Jack (who I think is supposed to be either a Lost Boy or Spike from Buffy) urges Jen (a…dark angel? I don’t know) to call C.J., accusing her of thinking he’s too good for her. She gives in, calling the help line where he volunteers and asking him to come to the party she and the others are going to.

At Hell’s Kitchen, Joey tells Eddie she made a deal with Hetson that will allow Eddie to come back to class. Eddie isn’t as grateful as Joey expected. Joey then literally runs into a teenage girl so snarky she could only be the offspring of Hetson. Her name is Harley, and Joey’s deal with Hetson involves looking after her so he can go on a date. Harley’s upset because she and her father usually go to the movies on Halloween, and he’s ditching her for a woman.

Dawson, in a Men in Black-type suit, wanders through a soundstage full of cheap Halloween props and dry ice. He thinks he hears someone whispering his name. He goes to another stage, where there’s a huge party, and tells Todd (dressed as a priest) he saw Melanie. Todd tells him he’s crazy and loses the tiny bit of interest he had when Natasha arrives in a schoolgirl costume that would make Britney Spears blush.

Harley flirts with Eddie and refuses to go anywhere with Joey. Eddie appeases them both by suggesting he take them to a haunted house. C.J. shows up at the party without a costume but with a guy named David. Jen thinks the guys are a couple. Jack tells her to go talk to David while he talks to C.J.

Joey’s suitably spooked at the not-really-that-scary haunted house, which amuses Harley. Eddie tells Joey to go easy on her because she obviously has daddy issues. Joey blathers about Eddie having potential that’s going to waste. He doesn’t want to be a “rich kid’s charity case.” He continues that he wasn’t going to go back to class after the first one, since Hetson bugged him, but he couldn’t stop thinking about Joey. They kiss, but Joey realizes she’s lost track of Harley.

Pacey tries to talk to Audrey about her F, but she brushes it off, saying she’s handling things. He’s worried that one F will lead to more of them. She fights back by bugging him about how much he’s been working. She admits that she’s been skipping class a lot because she’s depressed about their relationship. Then Emma randomly interrupts to remind us she’s in this episode. Dawson spots Melanie on a catwalk and runs up to meet her, hearing more whispering. He loses her but spots Todd and Natasha making out on a set. By the time he gets to them, they’re with other people.

The editor calls Dawson to show him a scene inserted in the dailies. It’s of Melanie being strangled by a man in a trench coat. Dawson goes back to the soundstage and asks Natasha why Melanie started the affair with the director. Natasha says she must not have been getting the attention she wanted from her husband; he had a shot and blew it. Dawson says she might not have given him enough of a chance. Yes, writers, we get the subtext. Natasha says there’s nothing going on between her and Todd, and even if there were, Dawson has no right to be jealous.

Joey and Eddie go looking for Harley as she blames him for distracting her with the kiss. He blames Hetson since he ditched Harley to go to the movies. Joey figures out that that’s probably where Harley is. Emma finds Pacey moping and gets him to open up to her about how his relationship with Audrey isn’t as carefree as it used to be. Now he’s second-guessing himself and why he’s checking out. He’s worried that he might not love Audrey anymore, or that he never really did. It’s TV, so of course Audrey heard the whole conversation.

Jen quizzes David about his relationship with C.J. He tells her C.J. talks about her all the time and really wants her…to be a peer counselor. Oh, and C.J. is straight. C.J. tells Jack the same thing, so Jack tells him Jen will be happy to hear it. C.J.’s flattered but says she isn’t his type. Joey and Eddie find Harley at the movies, and Joey gives her a verse of “You May Think Your Dad is Horrible, But at Least He’s Not Mike Potter.” Harley won’t listen.

Dawson spots Melanie again, loses her again, and catches Todd and Natasha making out again. He tells Natasha he’s sorry he hurt her and he still likes her. He admits to being jealous of whatever she has with Todd. Then he quits. Melanie’s back on the catwalk, and this time when Dawson approaches her, she comes toward him. Then she pulls off her wig, revealing that she’s really Natasha. The whole thing was a prank she and Todd pulled. They’re also not involved with each other. Dawson unquits.

Jen finally gets some time alone with C.J. and tells him she’s considering working for the help line after all. He advises her to make sure she’s doing it for the right reasons. She tells him he could save her a lot of trouble by just agreeing to a date. Jack tells David he feels bad that Jen’s throwing herself at C.J. because he told her to, but it won’t go anywhere. On the plus side, Jack and David agree to see each other sometime. And Jen thinks C.J.’s just playing hard to get.

Hetson returns to Hell’s Kitchen after his date, which didn’t go well (which is a shocker, since he’s so charming). Harley apologizes to Joey for being so horrible, and Joey lets it go. She encourages Harley to keep hoping that her relationship with her father will get better. Harley repays the favor by telling Eddie likes her and she’d better not mess things up. So Joey asks Eddie what’s going on with them, since they keep kissing and stuff. He tells her he’s not going back to Hetson’s class. Whatever’s up with him and Joey, he likes it.

Outside the costume-party location, Audrey tells Pacey she thinks they should break up. He barely protests, which makes it clear to her that he doesn’t have the energy to fight the split. She tells him he’s not a knight in shining armor – he just feels guilty that he’s sick of being in a relationship. Audrey wants to know why the people she loves don’t love her back. He tries to comfort her but she slaps him.

Natasha finds Dawson and tells him to repeat what he said about liking her. He does, and she tells him she likes him, too. He’s one of the only people she wanted to stay. He feels like the movie is all an illusion. Natasha says it could be, since for all she knows, this might be her last job. She’s going to enjoy the ride and take the experience with her. Even if she winds up only getting Dawson out of the experience, she’ll be fine. Cue the making out, complete with dialogue from the opening scene and the entrance of a guy with an axe.

Thoughts: David is played by Greg Rikaart from The Young and the Restless.

Summary: Joey’s working at Hell’s Kitchen but is annoyed that Eddie keeps making her wait for her orders. Emma encourages her to show a little more skin. Joey finally gets Eddie’s attention and asks him to agree not to talk about their kiss. Eddie isn’t onboard. Emma heads off to rehearse with her band, which is supposed to debut at Hell’s Kitchen the next night. She tells Joey and Eddie to “kiss and make up,” making Joey realize that Eddie told her about their kiss.

Natasha and Todd are at a hotel, though she leaves when Dawson joins them. He bugs Todd about funding for the movie, warning that Heather Tracy has been calling insistently and will be in town, too. The guys are surprised to learn that she’s already in town and isn’t going to let Todd put off their conversation any longer.

Pacey and Audrey hang out at his place, and he notes that she’s become studious all of a sudden. He wonders what happened at the party she went to with Jen and Jack (Jack doesn’t know). Audrey mentions that they ran into C.J. Pacey wants to take advantage of the empty apartment to have sex, but Audrey rebuffs him.

The next morning, Emma complains that Pacey drank all her coffee (and is now super-hyper). She’s also annoyed that Audrey slipped into the shower before she could. She’s impressed by Audrey’s singing voice, though. Jen asks Jack how his conversation with Professor Freeman went at the party, but he doesn’t let on that anything strange happened. Jack is shocked to see that Freeman gave him a C- on a paper he said he enjoyed at the party.

Joey runs into Eddie on campus, where he’s hanging up fliers for Emma’s band’s performance. She says she thinks they’ve been acting immaturely since “the incident.” Well, she’s been acting immaturely, at least. Eddie warns her not to back down when she gives a class presentation in front of Hetson later that day. They banter some more about the kiss, but I’m sure no one cares.

Heather quickly takes over on the movie set, working to get Todd on schedule and under budget. The problem is that the studio hates Natasha. Dawson and Todd both promise that she can play the lead. Todd notes that Dawson’s in the film’s target demographic, so he would know. After Freeman’s class, Jack approaches Freeman to ask about his grade; Freeman says he enjoyed the content but not the structure. He thinks Jack’s expectations were too high.

Todd asks Dawson to talk to Natasha, admitting that he’s completely fine with firing her if he needs to. After some awkwardness, since Natasha’s changing clothes, she tells Dawson that she knows she’s in trouble. Dawson gives her some pointers on how to do her next big scene. Audrey visits Pacey at work, but he’s not too thrilled to see her. She just wants to tell him that Emma asked her to be in her band. She’ll be debuting with the band at Hell’s Kitchen.

Joey gives a presentation on Lolita to Hetson’s class; you may be surprised to know that he’s a jerk to her. Eddie comes to her defense, telling Hetson to leave her alone. The two guys end up having a fight about a Russian writer who may have been a doppelganger or, to borrow from the episode title, an impostor. Eddie ultimately walks out of class and Joey follows him, but he snaps at her to mind her own business.

That night Eddie doesn’t show up for work, and Joey asks Emma if she knows where he lives. She’s surprised to hear that he lives two hours from Boston. Oh, and he doesn’t actually go to Worthington. Dawson, Todd, and Heather watch dailies of Natasha’s big scene, which Heather isn’t impressed with. Dawson tells Todd to have her watch the scene again, this time highlighting Natasha’s strengths.

As Dawson and an editor quickly recut the scene, Todd and Heather yell at each other, revealing that they once had a thing. She threatens to shut down the entire movie. They watch the scene again; this time Natasha’s the focus instead of the location. I guess Dawson’s an editing genius or something, because Heather calms down.

Joey stops by Freeman’s office and asks straight out if he would have gotten a better grade if he hadn’t been so shocked by Freeman’s admission that he went to the party to see him. He blasts Freeman for putting his marriage on the line when he’s supposed to be a respected adult. Freeman says he doesn’t want to have to be part of a “despised minority.” Jack replies that he should ask himself who’s doing the despising.

Audrey gets punked up for her debut, which will be in front of an excited audience. Jen tries to bring up the party, but Audrey says she doesn’t really remember what happened. Emma warns Audrey not to screw up the performance. The band is called Hell’s Belles, and their first song is a screamy version of “California Dreamin’.” It’s awful but the audience loves it.

Joey goes out to Eddie’s and lets him know she knows he doesn’t actually go to Worthington. He lets her into his apartment but doesn’t really want to have a civil conversation with her. She tells him she just wants to help. He tells her to go back to Boston and try to get back together with her preppy boyfriend.

Audrey, Jen, Joey, and Emma celebrate after the band’s performance, and it’s only then that Audrey realizes Pacey didn’t make it. Todd introduces Natasha to Heather, who acts super-enthusiastic and tells Natasha that the studio loves her. Natasha thinks she only got the role as a fluke, though Dawson ensures her that she earned it. They talk about the first time they met, when she was about to quit acting and he approached her because she seemed smart.

Audrey and Emma head home to the apartment, where Pacey fell asleep before he could go to Hell’s Kitchen. Audrey asks him to drive her home so she can sleep in her own bed. Eddie goes to Hell’s Kitchen to help Joey close and banter with her a little more. He explains how he first got started as an impostor. Joey apologizes for getting him singled out in class, since he was trying to be nice. He tells her he was actually trying to show off.

The next day, Freeman runs into Jack at a coffee kiosk (or he’s stalking him – whatever) and gives him a better grade. He talks about how unheard of it was for people to come out when he was Jack’s age. Their cultures are completely different. Jack asks Freeman to have a TA grade his papers from now on. Jen sees them talking and asks Jen if he got things with his paper straightened out. Jack assures her that everything is straight.

Thoughts: It’s clear that Hetson knew Oliver wasn’t really a student at Worthington, so why did he let him audit the class? Why did Oliver stay after he was found out? Nothing here makes ANY SENSE.

Freeman, you’re an idiot, and you’re just asking for Jack to report you for inappropriate behavior. (Not that anyone on this show would report an inappropriate relationship with a teacher.)

I love that Audrey, who’s complained about California, sings “California Dreamin'” in the shower. But why would Emma think she’s right for a punk band? And what happened to their original singer? And what’s the show’s obsession with people singing with bands? Again, nothing makes sense here.

If you travel two hours to talk to a guy you barely know when he clearly doesn’t want to talk to you, you might be crazy.

Natasha underwent a complete character transformation between the last episode and this one. I guess that’s the magic of Dawson. However, Heather also underwent a complete character transformation; originally she was just a producer who seemed normal, but now she’s a horrible person. Maybe it’s because she hasn’t spent enough time with Dawson yet.

Summary: Joey’s trying to type an email to Dawson about “the incident,” but she can’t figure out what to say. Audrey thinks she’s making a mistake and goes on a rant about how email is making society worse. Joey wants to let Dawson know she cares about him, but she also wants him to know she’s still mad. She doesn’t want to have the conversation over the phone. Audrey tells her that if she has to do this through email, she’d better do it thoroughly and pour her heart out.

Joey’s still working on the email that night, long after Audrey’s gone to bed. It mostly says that she wishes him well but they won’t be together. When she’s finally done, she brings up her address book and goes to click on Dawson’s name for the send field. But she’s so tired that she accidentally clicks “campus wide” just above his email address. Ruh-roh!

In the morning, Jack and Emma are amused by how professional Pacey looks on his first day of work. Everyone’s getting along, though Emma is a little naggy. Joey checks her email and sees that she has dozens of messages in response to her email to Dawson. She sees in her sent box that she sent it to the wrong address. Audrey’s too tired to offer much sympathy.

Pacey’s new boss, Rich, assigns him to sell stocks to people who probably won’t buy them. This plotline is stupid. Audrey joins Jen and Jack in Professor Freeman’s class; apparently she can just audit any class she wants in a school she doesn’t attend. Freeman offers an extra-credit assignment in the form of a double feature. Jack will mostly like show up for that.

Hetson hands out a new reading assignment to Joey’s class: her email. He wants to use it as an example of bad writing. He chastises Joey for distancing herself from the situation, telling her that you can’t do stream-of-consciousness writing if you’re just observing. Pacey isn’t good at his job, and Rich thinks it’s because he can’t relate to the people he’s supposed to sell to. He needs to make people feel like idiots for not listening to his advice. Basically, he needs to be a jerk.

Joey starts her new job at Hell’s Kitchen, thinking that her past restaurant experience has prepared her well enough. Emma disagrees. Joey goes to take some students’ orders and hears them talking about her email. She tears into them for treating the writer (who they don’t know is her) like she exists for their entertainment.

Jack spots Freeman at the movie theater and goes to talk to him as Jen and Audrey tease him. (Jen calls him “Swimfan,” which is awesome.) Jack is disappointed to learn that Freeman doesn’t know his name. Back at Hell’s Kitchen, Joey’s day gets even worse when Hetson comes in. Emma tells her he’s a regular. She doesn’t want Joey to run away from her problems, so she makes her wait on him.

Joey and Hetson banter, and then she lights into him for humiliating her in class. He points out that writers have to endure that kind of experience on a regular basis. If she can’t handle it, she should drop his class. Hetson continues that “it’s hard to write that sex stuff,” and at least she got this embarrassing situation out of the way early on. If Joey’s going to stay in the class, she needs to start proving to at least one of them that it’s worth it.

Rich takes Pacey on a field trip to a car dealership; he wants a Z8. Pacey can’t believe Rich can afford one. Rich advises him that a car says a lot about who the driver is. Pacey’s messy Mustang makes him look unserious and resistant to change. When they get back to the office, Pacey channels Rich (and maybe Hetson, a little) to sell some stocks. Rich is proud.

Jack chats with Freeman again after the double feature, and Audrey invites him to go to Hell’s Kitchen with them. Jack raves about Freeman’s class, practically declaring his love for his professor. Pacey has trouble closing any sales the rest of the day. Then he learns that Rich is taking credit for his big sale.

Eddie and Joey banter at Hell’s Kitchen (it’s like that’s the theme of the episode), and she rants about her horrible day. Eddie shoots back that many people don’t think about Joey when she’s not around, since they have their own lives. Oh, and he didn’t check his email, so he didn’t see the one she sent to everyone and hadn’t heard anything about it until she brought it up.

Pacey confronts Rich over pretending to take him under his wing, then taking credit for his success. He knows Rich is going to keep taking Pacey’s money and calling it his own. Rich says he’s just doing his job. That job is to make money, not praise Pacey. Pacey can keep going with the status quo, then eventually walk away, or he can shoot for better, like Rich does. After all, Rich used to be in Pacey’s position, and someone did the same thing to him that Rich did to Pacey.

Audrey tries to make Joey feel better by telling her that she barely heard about the email all day. Joey points out that she wasn’t on campus all day. She laments that Dawson will never see the letter meant for him. Audrey offers to be Joey’s expression sponsor, someone she can open up to the next time she feels like she just has to say something. Jen takes a liking to Eddie, who Joey tells her isn’t that great a guy.

Pacey pulls Audrey away from the group to tell him what Rich did. She encourages him not to let Rich get away with it. Pacey doesn’t think he has a choice, since that’s just how things work at the office. Audrey says these are supposed to be “the easiest days of [their] lives.” He tells her he’s seen how the real world works, and he can’t forget about it. He needs respect, and he may need to take a different path to get it.

Joey starts to apologize to Eddie, but he lets her earlier rant go. Joey’s song choice from the night she slept with Dawson comes up on the jukebox, and the two of them agree that they hate it. In the morning, Jack tells Emma about his Freeman troubles; he thought they had a moment the day before, but Jack doesn’t want him to know he’s into him. Emma thinks Freeman would be flattered.

Pacey goes to the office early, getting right to work. In class, Hetson teases Joey about the email again, so she bites back, asking if they’re going to move on to something more stimulating. Eddie approves. On the movie set, Dawson tries to write Joey an email but doesn’t get to finish it before Todd calls him away.

Thoughts: What did we learn from this episode? If you’re a jerk, you can drive a nice car!

I don’t know why a school would give students a way to send an email to the entire student body. That sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.

Freeman is handsome, but not as hot as Jack, Jen, and Audrey think. He looks kind of like Harry Hamlin.

Jack, teasing Audrey about Pacey living with Emma: “The three of us took a bath together this morning.” Jen: “I thought you only took a bath with Grams.” It’s her delivery that really makes it awesome.

This is Joey’s professor. Just imagine him in a colorful shirt and flip-flops, and COVERED IN MY KISSES

Summary: Previously on Dawson’s Creek, Joey considered going to Paris. Then she didn’t. In an incredibly cheesy voiceover sequence, she tells us that instead, she spent the summer in Capeside, waiting tables and reading. She met a boy, but he announced he was in love with her way too soon. Pacey and Audrey spent the summer in L.A. Jack and Eric dated, but then Eric dumped him (via email) for someone else. Jen went to the Hamptons and learned that her parents are divorcing. She was thrilled. Joey doesn’t know how Dawson’s summer went since they haven’t talked since the airport.

Joey runs across the Worthington campus and straight into someone deliciously snarky who’s wearing a Hawaiian shirt and flip-flops. Joey’s late for a meeting with Professor Hetson, who isn’t even in his office yet. Oh, and he’s the deliciously snarky guy. Audrey, Pacey, and Pacey’s unattractive facial hair are also at Worthington, along with a friend of Audrey’s whose parents want him to go to school there. It’s Jack Osbourne, because this was the early 2000s when Hollywood was contractually obligated to put at least one of them in everything.

Audrey’s worried that now that the summer’s over, she and Pacey will fall apart. He wonders why she isn’t rushing to get to class. She notes that nothing happens the first day of school. Pacey promises that he had a great summer and appreciates that her father has given her some job prospects. Audrey worries that Pacey will turn into a “lame 9-to-5-er.” He wants to make a change from the restaurant world.

Hetson tells Joey of an opening in the English department for a research assistant. She’s not that interested, but he tells her it’s a job a lot of people would love. He notices that she’s in one of his classes even though she’s only a sophomore. Joey assures him that she’s up for the challenge. He calls her bluff and tells her to read Last Exit to Brooklyn before the first class (which is that afternoon).

At Grams’, Jen asks if there’s anything noticeably different about her. The change is that she’s happy. If her parents can take steps to make their lives better, Jen knows anything’s possible. “What’s happened to my granddaughter?” Grams asks. “If you’ve eaten her, I want you to spit her out this instant.” Then Clifton calls, so that’s still going on. Jen uses the distraction of the phone call to give Jack and his latest boy toy a chance to escape the house without being spotted.

Pacey rushes to Joey’s room to tell her that no matter what, she doesn’t want him to stay there. Audrey arrive next and asks Joey if Pacey can stay with them for a few days. Joey respects Pacey’s wishes and says no. He pretends to be hurt. Joey gets to reading, but is distracted when Dawson calls, leaving a message on her machine to tell her he’s in town. (It sounds like Todd’s with him.) He wants to meet at a coffee shop, and Joey decides that’s more important than her reading.

Pacey winds up at Grams, getting ready for a job interview with a stock broker. Jack thinks he’s just obnoxious enough for the job. (Heh.) Pacey replies that Jack’s life is a little dull. Jack agrees, noting that it’s tough to bring someone home to a house where a grandmother lives. Pacey suggests that the two of them get a place together. Jack says it’s a bad idea, though he’ll need some time to figure out exactly why.

Jen goes to her art history class and is stunned to see that one of her fellow students is Grams. Grams tried to tell her that morning, but Jen was talking too much. She went to one of Clifton’s summer-school classes and remembered how much she liked learning, so she decided to enroll. Pacey visits a loft he’s interested in and meets the current tenant, Emma, who could give Hetson a run for his money in the snark/sass category. Pacey promises that if he and Jack moved in, neither of them would fall in love with her. She decides to interview some other potential roommates.

Jen and Jack have a pop-culture class together, and they both think the teacher, Professor Freeman, is cute. They just can’t decide if he’s gay. (He appears to be straight, as he says he’s married.) Joey waits for Dawson at the coffee shop with ten minutes to go before her class. She winds up heading back to campus and arriving at class late. Hetson calls her out on it, then answers her phone when Audrey calls. He does relay her message that Dawson couldn’t make it but will meet her and the others at Hell’s Kitchen that night.

The class starts discussing Last Exit to Brooklyn, and Hetson calls on Joey first. She admits that she didn’t get to read the whole thing. He’s disappointed but wants to know what she thought of what she did manage to read. Joey says it was heartbreaking – the characters are in a horrible world. Another student, Eddie, disagrees; he thinks Joey’s condescending for thinking there can’t be beauty in that horrible world. Then he winks at Joey, so he’s already on my list.

Emma turns out to be a waitress at Hell’s Kitchen, which Pacey thinks is a sign. He makes it clear that he’s dating Audrey, so she doesn’t need to worry about him. Audrey announces that she doesn’t want him living with a hot girl. (Emma’s just flattered that Audrey thinks she’s hot.) Pacey next introduces Emma to Jack, but that still doesn’t sway her toward letting them move in with her. Joey arrives and meets up with her friends, but Dawson still isn’t there.

Later in the evening, Joey asks Pacey why he didn’t want to stay with her and Audrey. Pacey reminds her of their return to Capeside after their summer on the boat, and how they didn’t want to go back to the real world. He adds that Hollywood Audrey tired him out. Joey’s torn between supporting him and wanting to warn him that if he hurts Audrey, she’ll hurt him.

Back with the others, Joey wonders where Dawson is. Audrey says the whole summer was like this – Dawson was always with Todd, working as his assistant. Oliver ditched L.A. after a bad experience, leaving Dawson a note reading, “I’ll see you in Hell, Leery.” Audrey’s surprised that Dawson and Joey didn’t talk all summer. Joey heads to the jukebox and tells off a guy who’s hassling Emma. They bond over bad experiences waiting tables. Emma lets Joey know there’s an opening for a waitress at the restaurant.

Pacey decides to leave since he has his job interview the next day. Audrey’s disappointed that he doesn’t have the energy he had all summer. He points out that she has classes the next day, but Audrey thinks socializing should take priority. She tells him she got them a nice hotel room for the night so they can have one more night of vacation before returning to their normal lives. Joey debates her two job options with Jack and Jen, who know her well enough to know she’ll opt for the research-assistant position.

Jen and Jack leave, but Joey decides to stay and wait for Dawson. She’s there for a long time and finally decides to leave. Of course, that’s when he shows up. They talk about their summers, and Dawson relays a story about speaking to Steven Spielberg on the phone (for two seconds when he called for Todd). He’s pleased that Joey waited around for him, though she claims it’s because she’s been waiting all night for her song to come up on the jukebox.

Joey brings up the fact that they spent the whole summer incommunicado. Dawson says he felt good about the two of them after she told him things would work themselves out. She thinks this means they’re really growing up. He seems different, but in a good way. Joey’s song finally plays, and she tells Dawson that it reminds her of the two of them seeing Clueless in middle school. He grabbed her hand when they ran across the street to Gail’s car, and it made her happy. This song was playing on the car radio.

Dawson asks Joey to dance, and after they do that for a while, he walks her to her dorm. She tells him he can sleep in Audrey’s bed if he wants, since she’s at the hotel. He falls asleep as she gets ready for bed, then wakes up and turns her clock forward so he can give her her birthday present on her actual birthday. It’s a Hollywood snow globe. (Way to break a five, Dawson.) He tells her that even though they didn’t talk all summer, she was still with him. They hug each other for a long time, and then there’s kissing, and then their clothes come off.

Thoughts: Hetson is played by Roger Howarth, who soap fans would know as Todd Manning from One Life to Live and General Hospital. Hetson is pretty much exactly like Todd, just with a different wardrobe and no scar. And he hasn’t swapped any babies yet. (Aside to General Hospital watchers, specifically Jason/Sam fans: Hetson’s shirt has dragons on it. That has to mean something, right?)

Eddie is played by Oliver Hudson, brother of Kate.

Pacey, your hair makes you look like the Heat Miser. Just thought you should know.